EX-AFL star and motor neurone disease campaigner Neale Daniher's daughter has urged the public to dig deep in support of Monday's third Big Freeze at the 'G.
The event sees celebrities slide into icy cold water before the annual Queen's Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the debilitating condition.
Daniher is one of more than 2000 Australians living with MND, which causes the nerve cells controlling movement, speech, swallowing and breathing to slowly weaken and eventually die.
Bec Daniher works closely with her father – the former Essendon footballer and Melbourne senior coach – to increase awareness of and lobby for greater research into the ultimately fatal disease.
"(The Big Freeze event has) grown beyond anything we thought possible," she told 3AW on Monday.
"Seeing the general public and football public get together and have this game filled up to the brim and have our donations rolling through is incredible.
"It's really important someone stood up. Before, it was a bit faceless, the disease, and you need a face out there who's going to push it, get the media involved (and) get the public involved.
"Neale's been that person and you can see the changes we've been able to achieve in just two-and-a-half short years – we've got three clinical trials and eight research projects, where before there was absolutely nothing."
Daniher has endeared himself to the football and wider community with his selflessness in making his battle with MND public to benefit others.
"He's a very athletic, fit person and has been his entire life, so to have his body going against him (makes) things get harder," his daughter said.
"Just eating food and getting dressed is difficult. His hands are almost gone, but he's very lucky his legs are pretty strong, so he is still walking the dogs every day.
"There are points where you just get a bit frustrated and that's completely acceptable that can happen. But he's an exceptionally positive person and it's really important to us, because we feed off that as well as a family."
A host of former Australian sports stars will slide into the ice bath during Big Freeze 3, including Andrew Gaze, Steve Moneghetti, Steven Bradbury asnd Alisa Camplin.
The Federal Government will match whatever is donated to the cause, including at the game and online at https://fightmnd.org.au/
